New Statewide Coalition Launches to Advance the Grid Texas Needs

Texans for Responsible Infrastructure Investment (TRII) is a statewide coalition to help keep the lights on in Texas requires the courage to build.

AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, May 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- New Statewide Coalition Launches to Advance the Grid Texas Needs

Texans for Responsible Infrastructure Investment (TRII) will champion 765-kV transmission investment under the Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan (STEP) to keep the Texas Miracle running

Texans for Responsible Infrastructure Investment (TRII) today announced its formation as a statewide, non-partisan coalition united around a single idea: Keeping the lights on in Texas requires the courage to build. TRII, a coalition led by the Texas Energy Delivery Alliance (TEDA), will be a fact-based voice in the public debate over the grid investments Texas needs to power its next generation of growth — beginning with the 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines authorized under the state’s Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan (STEP).

“Texas’ economic vitality depends on the reliability of our electric system. Texans deserve an honest conversation about the grid that powers our homes, their jobs, and their economy,” said Bill Lauderback, Executive Chair of TRII. “Decisions about Texas electric grid infrastructure must be based on the legitimate needs of all Texans rather than misinformation from the loudest critics. TRII exists to lift up those voices, ground this debate in the truth, and make sure the decisions being made in Austin reflect the full breadth of Texans’ support for responsible infrastructure investment.”

Texas is growing fast. ERCOT now forecasts peak demand will be more than double what the system was carrying just a few years ago — reaching as much as 367.8 GW, equivalent to the amount of power used by 91,950,000 residential customers.
TEDA and its founding member, Dallas-based Oncor Electric Delivery, started TRII to act on the pressing need for a substantial expansion of infrastructure to ensure a more reliable grid in Texas. The state continues to thrive, and that requires more electric generation and a transmission network that can get that power where it’s needed. At the same time, ensuring Texans understand how the system works — and what it will take to keep it reliable — will be critical to the state’s continued success.

TRII was formed to make sure the conversation about how to meet that demand is free from misinformation, and that the voices of customers, engineers, economists, businesses, property owners, and local leaders who understand the stakes are amplified. This new coalition will soon announce new members from a wide cross-section of Texas industries.
TRII’s work is guided by three principles: credibility, grounded in independent research and third-party expertise rather than industry talking points; relatability, focused on what matters to Texans and Texas businesses — reliable power, affordable bills, good jobs, strong property rights, and rural economic opportunity; and responsiveness, showing up to correct misinformation in real time and to give policymakers credible support when they need it most.

The push for a stronger grid is rooted in the Texas Legislature’s recognition that the current electric grid can’t keep up with demand, and its urgent response to the outages that occurred in 2021 during Winter Storm Uri. In 2023, lawmakers passed House Bill 5066, which directed the Public Utility Commission and ERCOT to plan proactively for a more reliable electric grid and to develop a dedicated reliability plan for the fast-growing Permian Basin. Signed by Governor Greg Abbott, HB 5066 replaced a reactive and out-of-date transmission-planning process with one that anticipates the load Texas knows is coming as the state responds to the rapid growth and investment that has accompanied the Texas Miracle.

The 765-kV backbone authorized under STEP is the first major issue on TRII’s agenda because, the coalition argues, it sits at the intersection of three priorities every Texan values: reliability, economic competitiveness, and affordability. These higher-capacity lines give grid operators the headroom and redundancy needed to weather extreme heat, winter storms, and Gulf Coast hurricanes. They ensure Texas can keep saying yes to the Permian electrification project, and to the next new neighborhood, semiconductor fab, battery plant, or industrial center that will help keep our state and local economies strong. And because higher-voltage lines lose less power in transit, those lines deliver more electricity to customers while spreading costs over a 40- to 50-year asset life.

“Investing once, at the right scale, is cheaper than building smaller now and coming back a decade later to do it again,” Lauderback said. “Making the right-sized investment one time is the lowest-cost path for Texas ratepayers. STEP gives Texas the grid it needs for the next chapter of its story — and TRII intends to make sure the facts about that opportunity reach every Texan who has a stake in the outcome.”

In the months ahead, TRII will commission independent economic and engineering research, brief journalists, policymakers, and community leaders, counter misinformation in real time, and continue building a broad, cross-sector coalition that reflects the full breadth of Texas support for responsible infrastructure investment.

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About Texans for Responsible Infrastructure Investment (TRII)
Texans for Responsible Infrastructure Investment (TRII) is a non-partisan, statewide coalition of Texans — advocating for the electric grid investments Texas needs to remain reliable, affordable, and economically competitive. TRII’s work is grounded in independent research and third-party expertise, and is dedicated to advancing an honest, fact-based public conversation about the future of the Texas grid.
Learn more at https://TexansForResponsibleInfrastructureInvestment.com.

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Media Contact:
Mindy Noonan
MindyNoonan@TexansForRII.com

Mindy Noonan
Texans for Responsible Infrastructure Investment
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